Floating safety-cabin



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN I. BUTLER, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

FLOATING SAFETY-CABIN.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,881, datedOctober 25, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN I. BUTLER, of Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Floating Poop-Cabins; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which-i Figure l, represents a side view of the ship and poop cabin. Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section of the same, and Fig. 3, a plan of the deck of the ship and cabin.

Similar letters of reference in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

To enable others, skilled in the art, to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, is the hull of a poop cabin made in the form of a boat, the dimensions in proportion to the size of the ship upon which it is to be placed, but large enough to hold the crew and passengers of the ship in case of necessity.

B, is the keel of the boat or cabin. This keel is fitted into a groove in the deck to prevent its sliding from one side to the other by the rolling of the ship.

C, C, are stocks upon which the cabin rests and keeps in an upright position.

D, D, are hinged iron straps, the lower ends of which are made fast to the deck of the ship, passing up at each side of the cabin, and by means of joints in them at the edge of the decks of the cabin, meeting in the middle on the top, where they are firmly keyed together, so as to hold the cabin securely to the deck of the ship.

E, is the key by which the straps are held together. By simply knocking out this key, the iron straps are loosened and the straps thrown out each way and the cabin allowed to float off in case of the sinking of the ship.

F, F, are two rudders, one on each side at the stern, within the line of the outsides of the cabin.

G, is a wheel by which, in connection with tiller ropes H, I-I, the rudders are worked.

I, is the frame work of a sliding gate propeller at the stern of the floating cabin with which the gate or propeller works.

J, is the Jframe of the gate.

K, is the gate, shown in black and red lines in Figs. 2, 3. L, is a sliding rod, by which the propeller is worked from within the cabin by hand, with a crank or lever. The plane of this gate when closed, is parallel to the stern of the ship, and it, (the gate) is pushed out within the frame I, in that position.

M, is the bolt or pivot on which the gate is hung out of center and on which it turns, so as to present a feather edge to the action of the water, as it is drawn back. As it is pushed out, the gate closes and the flat surface is again presented to the action of the water, by which the power is obtained for propelling the cabin.

N, are stairs, by which the poop cabin is entered from the deck of the ship, above the ordinary water line. When afloat, this door can be closed and made water tight. The stairs are secured to the deck of the ship, but not attached to the cabin.

O, is the hull of the ship.

P, is a hole in the bottom of the ship, for flooding the hold in case of lire.` There should be two or three holes, one on each side of the keel, their size in proportion to the size of the ship.

Q, is a plug for stopping the hole I?.

R, is a rod attached to the pulley and eX- tending up through the deck. Near the top of this rod, a screw is cut, passing through a nut on the deck.

S, is a handle on the rod at the top, by which it is turned and the plug raised out of the hole in the bottom of the ship forl the purpose of flooding the hold to put out the fire. Should the tire be extinguished without sinking the ship, the plug can be returned to the hole by the same means that it was taken out, and the water stopped.

In the operation of this invention, it will be seen that in case of lire in the lower hold of a ship, water can be let into the hold by` a person, on the deck of the ship, withdrawing the plugs from the holes in the bottom. If the fire is confined to the lower hold, that may be flooded and the fire extinguished. The plugs may then be replaced in the same manner they were taken out, the water pumped out and the ship proceed on her voyage. Should the lire have made such progress that it is impossible to save the ship, the hatches should be closed and the hull allowed to lill with water while the crew and passengers take refuge in the poop cabin and cast loose the iron straps that hold the cabin to the deck, as the ship sinks, the cabin will float off. By

shaped Cabin'A, gate propeller I, J, K, M,

jointed hinged straps D, D, wedge E, rudder 10 F, windlass G, ordinary vessel O, valve S, R, Q and passage I), and stairs N, all in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

MARTIN I. BUTLER. Witnesses:

R. A. NATHURST, WM. KING. 

